Dictionary

say the quiet part loud en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

Corpus searches seem to confirm that this phrase was absent from widespread usage until after the mid-1990s, when the cartoon character Krusty the Clown used a similar phrase in the episode "A Star Is Burns" of the American animated TV series The Simpsons, saying, "I said the quiet part loud and the loud part quiet."

Meanings

1. (idiomatic) To willingly express a sentiment that is normally considered embarrassing, disreputable or controversial to hold; to reveal an ulterior motive.
   • “Just what are you trying to say here, Miss Parker?” “That you’re a jingoistic idiot.” Yeah, I said the quiet part loud. I blame the pain meds. But there‘s no way I was letting this metal-heavy moron lecture me about my duty to my country, without giving me the chance to make up my own mind. 2012, Dana Fredsti, Plague Town: An Ashley Parker Novel, Titan Books, chapt. 9
   • Donald Trump is not subtle. While normal political language functions through implication and indirection, Mr. Trump luxuriates in saying the quiet part loud. But in doing so, Mr. Trump exposes what drives the politics of the movement he commands. 2018 March 17, Chris Hayes, “Chris Hayes: What ‘Law and Order’ Means to Trump”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 12 Feb 2021:
   • “When you’re a star, they let you do it,” the president, Epstein’s sometime associate, infamously bragged, once again saying, with stunning efficiency, the quiet part loud. 2019 July 9, Megan Garber, “When Jeffrey Epstein Joked About Sex Abuse”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 17 Jul 2019:

Forms

Relateds

mask off · on main

wikipedia: Krusty the Clown · wikipedia: The Simpsons · wikipedia: A Star Is Burns